I was beginning to love the man Max had been to me—someone who’d shown me glimpses of a future I wanted to believe in. The way he would laugh was genuine; the way he’d hold onto me as if he never planned to let go—it had felt so real.
My mind battled against itself, torn between the desire to protect my heart and the hope there was still something worth salvaging. The anger inside was strong, and it demanded justice. It screamed at me to walk away, to never look back.
But beneath that anger was the quiet.
It was a persistence ache, the part of me that still wanted to believe in him. In us. The part of me that remembered the wayhis eyes softened when he looked at me. The way he whispered my name as if it were the only word he’d ever known.
“What if there is an explanation? What if he hasn’t left me? What if something really did happen?” I finally voiced the question that had been gnawing at me—the one that wouldn’t let go.
Daisy gave a weak smile and shook her head. “I don’t think he’s coming, Rosie. This is what the Romanos are known for.”
I could feel the doubt creeping in, trying to erode my trust in him, but there was something stronger that fought back. Maybe it was foolish, maybe it was naïve, but I knew there had to be more to it.
I refused to believe everything we had meant so little to him.
“I know what you’re saying,” I said slowly, my voice still trembling, “but I know Max. He’s made mistakes before, big ones, but he’s never been one to walk away without a word. If he’s not here, there has to be a reason.”
Daisy sighed. “I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“I know,” I replied, my heart heavier than before. “But if there’s even a chance something happened—something beyond his control ... I have to find out. I have to trust there’s more to this than it seems.”
Daisy hesitated for a moment but then nodded, her hand squeezing mine gently. “If that’s what you need to do, then do it. If you can’t trust your own heart, whose can you really trust?” She stood and helped pull me up. “Sean is outside waiting for you. He said he’d be your getaway driver if need be.”
Her words brought a small, almost involuntary smile to my lips. “Of course he did,” I murmured.
Sean had always been the kind of person to drop everything if he thought he could help. There had been countless times when he’d come through for me. He never asked for an explanation ordemanded more than I was willing to give—he just showed up, ready to support me in whatever way I needed.
Like he was right now.
He stood on the other side of the door, blocking the eyes of the crowd—at least what was left of it—so they wouldn’t see my tears. His broad shoulders shielded me from the curious, judgmental glances of people who didn’t know—who couldn’t understand—what I was truly going through. Most of them were my own family.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said with a kind smile. “The car is running, ready to go whenever you are.”
I let out a sigh and followed him out.
Once I’d settled into the passenger seat, he got behind the wheel and started the ignition. The engine hummed to life, the quiet inside the car almost suffocating. I could feel the small battle in my chest beginning again.
Sean glanced over at me. He didn’t say anything, just waited patiently for me to tell him where I wanted to go. I stared out the window, trying desperately to put my pride aside and trust Max.
“Rose?” Sean’s voice broke through the fog of my thoughts. “Do you want to go home, or do you want to go to your father’s house?”
I met his steady gaze.My father.Where was he? He was supposed to be the one to walk me down the aisle, but I never got the chance to take that walk. Was he still at the church?
“I ... I don’t know,” I stammered. “Is he even there?”
Sean frowned, the concern hitting him just like it had hit me.
Both my father and Max were missing?
“He might still be at the church. We could go back there, check if he’s still around.”
Seeing Sean uncertain only made me question everything more. What was going on? Was my father involved? Was he with Max?
“Sean,” I said, my voice barely a whisper as I tried to steady my trembling hands.
His frown deepened as he threw the car into reverse. He knew exactly what I was wondering and had answered a question I didn’t even have to ask. “I don’t know, but if Liam is with Max, it’s because he wants the marina back.”
The marina. The business that had been the center of so much conflict; the very thing that had driven a wedge between Max and my family.
